The Final Leg, Paradise Bay to Half Moon Island
The variability of weather and scenery continued as our ship moved north from Paradise Bay, to Neko Harbor, and then out of the Antarctic Zone toward Deception Island and the return to Argentina.
Paradise Bay lived up to its name as our good luck with weather—at least from the photographer’s viewpoint—continued. And I’ve since discovered that the scenery of Antarctica also lends itself nicely to Black and White images.
View from Zodiac, Paradise Bay
Paradise Bay, Mid-morning Light
Vicinity of Neko Harbor, Evening Light
Neko Harbor, Evening Light
Deception Island, part of the South Shetland Islands, is considered one of the safest harbors in Antarctica. I guess you could say that, except the island is the caldera of an active volcano and your ship’s captain must know exactly where that submerged rock is located in the very, very narrow entrance (see map).
Map of Deception Island
Inside the Caldera, Deception Island, mid-morning
We were told that the island got its name because sailors had been going past it for decades until finally one curious ship captain found the narrow entrance was hiding a perfectly formed harbor. For us, the deception was the weather. When we arrived, everything was very nice. But a few hours later a snow squall spun up making it a little difficult for the Zodiac drivers as they maneuvered alongside the ship. (Click here to see a Vimeo clip) But please overlook my limited video skills.
Our last stop in Antarctica was Half Moon Island, a 400-acre speck of land that was home to a chinstrap penguin colony which we were bound and determined to see.
Chinstrap Penguin Admiring the Snow
Chinstrap Penguin Colony
Interestingly, Google has a lite version of its “Street View” application captured (on a much nicer day) from this location, apparently the sole basis for its claim that it has covered all 7 continents. Click here for a view not far from my image above and, although you may have to rotate the scene with your mouse, you will recognize the jutting rock on the right.
Fresh Snow, Half Moon Island, Antarctica
Next—Iguazu Falls
The black and white photos are especially striking. Nice work! –Greg
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Thanks, Greg. Good to hear from you. Enjoy New Zealand!
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Those black and whites are amazing!!!
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Thanks, Laura! Given your role as co-manager of MM, that’s very high praise.
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You’re welcome! They are truly amazing. Oh….I won’t be co-managing anymore. You’ll see when my post comes out that I announce it. It’s all Leanne’s baby this year.
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These are breathtaking images Robin 🙂 I specially love the mountain hidden in clouds. So grand and mystic!
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Thanks so much. That one was one of my favorites from the trip. I haven’t started making prints of these images yet, but that will be one of the early ones in the queue.
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The monochrome images are superb.
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Thank you very much, Laura. I think the landscape in Antarctica is excellent for B&W imagery, although I didn’t have that in mind before we arrived.
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The black and whites are great! Deception Island looks fascinating. Such a shame the weather turned on you. Great composition on the photo of the chinstrap colony!
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Thanks very much, Sarah. I can’t really complain about the weather shift on that day, we had such good luck the rest of our time there. A good number of my colleagues have made the same journey and experienced poor shooting conditions during the entire trip.
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We’re always at the mercy of the weather! I’d love to do both the Arctic regions some day.
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The Antarctic was definitely worth the trip, this September I hope to be heading up to Iceland (just south of the Arctic Circle) so it will be an interesting comparison.
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Oh, by the way, I just saw your “On Reflection” mage on this week’s MM post. I really like the idea of monotone version of a butterfly. Probably because it never occurred to me. Very nicely done.
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What an ethereal place. Black and white is a great way to portray the landscape. Carla
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Thanks, Carla. Good to hear from you. Yes, I thought the B&W worked well in this environment.
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Next – Igazu Falls? You are killing me, these are all on my bucket list. Nice images, very striking in black and white.
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Thanks! As it turned out, I slipped a local subject in ahead of Iguazu Falls in my post yesterday, but one on the falls is coming.
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In the video,the wind seems so strong !!! Was the main ship moving a lot as well ? The penguin looks awesome, and is the perfect subject for a black and white series
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Thanks very much! Sorry for the slow response, shooting season is upon us here and I have been away from the computer. Yes, it was a stiff breeze and it was obvious that the Zodiac drivers earned their salary.
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The weather is getting better and better, I understand don’t worry 😉
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The images in B&W seem even more potent, Robin. It is as if the icescapes are magnified in their harshness.
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Thanks very much, it seems like a natural subject for B&W. By the way, we saw two sailboats while there, one about 70 feet (two masts) and one even smaller (single mast). I was pretty impressed, given the reputation of the Drake Passage for extreme weather.
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We’d be too scared to sail there on our 38ft cat… Definitely need a stronger boat not to mention nerves!
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Yes, that might be a little undersized. I was told that people who do this, aside from being very experienced in open water sailing, usually spend a year preparing for this trip. I noticed the navigational maps on the bridge that there were symbols showing safe harbor locations for sailing vessels. But even in the placid waters of the bays issues such as the sudden appearance of brash ice can pose problems. For example, one of our Zodiac runs was forced to take a roundabout return to the ship because a bunch of the stuff floated into the harbor during the 90 minutes we were on shore.
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